Devotees throng Durga Puja pandals in Noida, Gzb

Revellers in Noida and Greater Noida celebrated Maha Ashtami of Durga Puja, taking part in rituals such as "pushpanjali" and "sandhi puja". Over 5,000 devotees gathered at the Kali Temple in Greater Noida, while other celebrations took place in Sector 134 and Sector 34.

Revellers celebrated Maha Ashtami of Durga Puja across Noida and Greater Noida on Sunday and took part in several rituals, including “pushpanjali” and “sandhi puja”.

At the Durga Puja pandal in Noida on Sunday. (Sunil Ghosh /HT PHOTO)

Over 5,000 devotees gathered at the Kali Temple in Pi-2 of Greater Noida to seek the blessings of the goddess as Greater Noida Sharadia Sanskritik Samiti (GNSSS) held its 23rd Durga Puja.

“We began celebrating Durga Puja in Greater Noida about 23 years ago by setting up a pandal on the Kali Temple ground in Pi-2. On ‘Maha Ashtami’, ‘bhog’ was distributed to the devotees, while in the evening, Bengali folk artistes regaled the audience with their baul performance,” said GNSSS secretary Monindro Mondal.

In Sector 134, the Wishtown Sarbojanin Cultural Association at Klassic Arcade Park organised its third Durga Puja festivities this year. The puja was inaugurated by noted Bangladeshi-Swedish writer and activist Taslima Nasrin on Friday.

“I often visit Durga Puja pandals in Delhi, but this is my first time in Noida and am floored by the beauty of this pandal. I never knew this city has such a rich Bengali culture and I will make sure to come back here every year to enjoy the festivities,” said Nasrin.

Apart from organising the regular tradition rituals, Noida’s oldest Durga Puja committee, the Noida Kalibari, also held a competition for the organisers. The Sharod Samman Awards, ‘Jago Durga’, was announced for the best pujas in Noida and Ghaziabad.

“This year’s event was filled with exceptional creativity, devotion and fervour. The pandal set up by Indirapuram’s Prantic Cultural Society bagged the “Best Category-Overall” award for its collective effort in various aspects, including idol, pandal, decoration and lighting, which have truly set a benchmark for excellence,” said Anupam Banerjee, vice-president of Noida Kalibari.

The winning puja committee informed that they had been preparing for the puja pandal since November last year. “This is our 15th year and since November last year we started hunting for the best artisans in West Bengal to create a pandal. The theme of our Durga Puja pandal is ‘Hastkala- our cultural heritage’, wherein the whole pandal is created using bamboo and its products,” said Niladree Deb, president of Prantic Cultural Society, Indirapuram.

In Sector 34, the Noida Bangiya Samiti celebrated its 30th year of Durga Puja festivities.

“The theme of our pandal is ‘Goddess Durga in abode of straw and chaff’. The whole pandal is eco-friendly and made out of straw and chaffe using tradition craftsmanship,” said Debashis Banerjee, Noida Bangiya Samiti secretary.